I’ve always chased the dream of having a balanced life.  I finally realized I can’t achieve a state of balance because life is always changing. You see, having a balanced life is a journey, not a destination.

As part of my journey, I practice yoga to help me in the physical and mental areas of my life. As a bonus, yoga has taught me a lot about life balance.

Here are balance techniques that I’ve learn from yoga:

1. 1. Balance Requires Constant Movement

   Balance poses in yoga are not static. When I’m doing a balancing pose, I’m constantly shifting my weight from side to side (hoping not to fall down).

   Life is the same — it requires constant shifting to maintain balance. As life shifts, whether it’s a job change, a move to a new city, or even taking on more responsibilities at work, you must adjust your current lifestyle. When you resist change, life will knock you down!

1. 2. Focus on One Point

   When doing a balance pose in yoga, my instructors say to find one point and focus on it.  My focal point for life balance is the Ziglar Wheel of Life. It is a tool to achieve Balanced Success, which is success in all areas of life: Physical, Family, Mental, Financial, Spiritual, Career, and Personal. Each spoke of the wheel represents one of these areas.

   Ziglar Wheel of Life^©

   

   Discovering this visual has been a game changer for me! It reminds me that all of these areas are equally important, and I should spend time developing and maintaining each area of my life. 

3. I’m very task oriented, and the Ziglar Wheel of Life helps me remember to work in the softer areas like building relationships with friends and family. This graphic shows me that a call to my dad is as important as a call to a client. 

   Additionally, all seven areas of life are interconnected. To have a smooth journey through life, each spoke must be strong and the wheel well balanced.

 3. Build for Success

1. Balance is not something that you find. It’s something you create. – Jana Kinsford

2. In yoga, once you find a point of focus, you can start building the balance pose. With the Wheel of Life as a focal point, you create Balanced Success by:

   1. Assessing where you are on each spoke of the Wheel of Life
   2. Setting goals for where you want to be

   I’ve created an easy-to-use Wheel of Life Assessment that can be found on my website under the Resources tab. Follow the instructions in the template to find out how smooth your ride is.

   If you have an area(s) that is flat (lower score than other areas), you need to set goals to improve that area. If one or more spokes are weak or broken on your wheel, you will have a bumpy ride through life and probably won’t get very far.

   As Christy Wright says in her book Business Boutique, “Life balance isn’t about doing everything in your life for an equal amount of time. It’s about doing the right things at the right time.” (Wright, 2017)

   By taking the assessment and setting goals to improve weak areas, you will be working on the right things to create Balanced Success in your life.

 4. Strong Foundation

1. In yoga, it is important to have a strong foundation for balance poses. The stronger your base, the greater your stability.

   Life balance is much the same way. The stronger your foundation, the greater balance you will be able to achieve. The foundational areas of a balanced life are:

   • Mental
   • Spiritual
   • Physical

   These areas are what I think of as Power Players. They enable success in every area of life.

   Yet, people tend to place these Power Players behind other areas like Career and Family, which are typically more demanding. Probably because bosses, children and bill collectors are very vocal about what they want, so they get the most attention.

   By intentionally building up the Mental, Spiritual and Physical areas, every other spoke of the wheel is strengthened, resulting in a much smoother ride through life.

 5. Use Support to Gain Stability

1. New yogis and people seeking balance (like me) are similar in that they both need more support. When my yoga teachers see me struggling, they offer tips to improve my balance; or if I’m near a wall, I know I can reach out for a moment to re-center myself.

   The same is true in life. To create Balanced Success, you will need support in various ways including coaches, mentors, small groups, technology, etc.

   On my website, I’ve provided links to resources that I personally use to strengthen and maintain various areas my life. Most of these resources are apps or online resources, and most are FREE. Check them out here.

The Bottom Line

Practicing balance poses in yoga eventually leads to a more focused mind, less stress, stronger muscles, and improved stability.

When you dedicate time to creating Balanced Success in your life, you’ll find similarly impressive mental and physical benefits. I hope you will use these tips to enjoy a more fulfilled and happy life!